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Happy, happy Friday y’all! Before I get to the good stuff, bwahaha, I’m over at the ARe Cafe today talking about writing for Ellora’s Cave. Stop by!

Do y’all even read the intro to these interviews or just jump to the good stuff? I’m kind of curious about that so let me know in the comments if you read this or if I should just dive straight into the good-looking men. M’kay?

But in case you do read this…Hey! It’s Friday! Woot-woot! I’m sending off my latest manuscript to my editor today. *crosses her fingers* Hopefully I’ll have good news to share with y’all soon. Mais, I hope I do because it feels like I’ve given birth to this story. Yeah, it took that long. It’s a full term novel. If I get an acceptance, I might even buy myself some flowers saying “Here It Is!” *snickers*

And oh, if I can get today’s hunk on the cover of my book? That would just be…awesomesauce. Today I have another new Ellora’s Cave cover model, Caveman De Angelo. Oh yes, I’m shocked myself! But De Angelo is an amazing guy with a sexy Italian accent and a great personality. He’s also hubba, hubba hot. *fans herself* Um, so yeah, here’s the interview…’scuse me while I wipe up the drool from my keyboard.

Danica: What made you want to be a model?De Angelo: I started modeling when I was younger. When I was about sixteen or seventeen I signed with an agency in my country. I had to stop fashion modeling because I started growing and my body didn’t fit in the clothing anymore. I like doing sports and my body was naturally muscular, I would have had to starve myself to get down to 160 pounds and fit into the clothes I would’ve had to model.
Danica: I’m definitely liking the physique he’s sporting now. Ladies?

Danica: What’s the one place in the world you’d love to visit and why?De Angelo: Probably more than one place. I like to travel. I don’t think about vacations a lot since I work all the time.

Danica: What do you have going on right now? Do you have any upcoming appearances? If so, when, where and will there be video? Just joking about that last one. Sort of. Ahem.De Angelo: I’ll be at RomantiCon in Ohio. I used to compete in body building competitions, but I didn’t want to keep getting bigger. Now I do personal training, I’m the dance manager at my club helping choreography with the other dancers and take acting classes with modeling on the side.
Danica: A man of many talents. *cough* And oh yeah, we’ll be seeing you at RomantiCon! Right, Cabal? I know y’all are out there reading this…Danica: How was the photoshoot with EC?De Angelo: It was a lot of fun. The photographer was great. People thought the face I gave Bill Giste the look.
Danica: I think that look solidified De Angelo as one of our favorite Cavemen. That look. Priceless! If you missed it, Ellora’s Cave was featured on CBS Sunday Morning and De Angelo was one of the models during the photoshoot.

Danica: What do you think is your best feature?De Angelo: Personality, smile and eyes.

Danica: What’s it like being the focus of so much female attention?De Angelo: I think it’s good, you meet a lot of people, get to know them, talk with them. I like it.
Danica: I’m glad because I know he’s going to cause a stir at RomantiCon!

Danica: What kind of woman are you most drawn to sexually?De Angelo: Personality is very important, what’s inside a person counts.
Danica: And there was a collective sigh as millions (okay hundreds) of women fell in love with De Angelo. And now imagine him saying that in his Italian accent.

Danica: What’s your favorite kink? Yes, sexually.De Angelo: I just go with the flow. I like it when it’s spontaneous, nothing planned.
Danica: My mind just blanked out. trying to imagine what going with the flow means exactly.

Danica: Are you a breast or a butt man?De Angelo: It’s not really important to me, the only thing that really matters is the personality.

Danica: What’s your favorite position?De Angelo: I like a little bit of everything.
Danica: Again, I have no words.

Danica: What’s your theme song?De Angelo: I’m in the club a lot, so I like to chill in my free time.

Danica: How have you been in the U.S.? And is there any particular place you’d like to live?De Angelo: Five years, and moved directly to Miami. The place I’d love to live would be Los Angeles. I don’t to go to NYC because of the weather.

Danica: Favorite food?De Angelo: Italian food, I know how to cook, so I make it for myself. Home cooking is best.
Danica: Authentic Italian food cooked by a sexy Italian man. That’s book fodder right there.

Danica: Do you prefer winter or summer?De Angelo: Summer, hot weather

Danica: Do you prefer mountains or beaches?De Angelo: Beaches

Danica: Pets? What kind?De Angelo: Yes, I had two dogs. They’re called dogo argentinos which are like a mastiffs, big dogs. I had to leave them in Italy when I moved here.
Danica: Awww!

Well the Big Cocks and Shamrocks Blog Hop is over. *sniff* It was so much fun though, wasn’t it?

I know I enjoyed myself, reading the comments left by new people to the blog *waves to them* and learning about St. Patrick’s Day traditions. But y’all aren’t really worried about how much fun I had, are y’all? You want to know who won!

The winner of the “grand prize” on my blog which included a book from my backlist and a set of swag is…Terri Shaw!

There were two additional winners of swag and they are…Jessie Llewellyn and Carolann Leibenguth.

I want to thank everyone who participated in the hop. There’s still the mega grand prize coming from the Cabal of Hotness and those winners will be announced shortly. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did and you can be certain the Cabal is already plotting to hold another hop later in the year. So be sure to check back frequently to find out what we have going on, cause you know it’s going to be crazy!

Oh and if you’re looking for more things to win, I’m the middle of my Scavenger Hunt for Dean’s List until the end of the week. Collect all the letters in the hop and unscramble them to reveal the secret word for more entries to win a $50 gift card to (Amazon, B&N, or ARe) and a copy of Dean’s List. Today I’m over at A.M. Griffin’s blog as well as Deal Sharing Aunt’s blog.

It’s a rainy, dreary day here in south Louisiana today. I’m hoping I can avoid going out in the rain (yeah, right).

But that isn’t what today’s blog is about.

A special friend of mine has opened a promotional company. Having worked the last couple of months with her, I know she’ll make Candlelight Book Promotions a premier virtual book touring company. How do I know? Because she has an amazing work ethic and a can-do attitude.

This is what she’s seeking.

Are you an author? Are you looking for a customizable blog tour that’s priced just right? Then you need to check Candlelight Book Promotions out as well. And they aren’t limiting themselves to only authors. If you have a need to promote your business or yourself and want to try a virtual tour, you definitely need to check out Candlelight Book Promotions.

If you’re not on this side of the publishing industry, but you’re an avid reader and blogger, check out the hosting team information!

Join the Hosting Team

I am seeking RELIABLE and EXPERIENCED book bloggers that enjoy reading and reviewing romantic fiction (any and all sub-genres). My hosting team must enjoy showcasing the authors who write romance on their blogs for book features, reviews, interviews, guest posts and giveaways. If you are an author but still can answer ‘yes’ to the above items, then I’m definitely looking for you as well.

If you are:

· an avid reader of romance fiction (any sub-genre from erotic to YA);

· an active RELIABLE book blogger;

· able to access and read PDF and/or electronic files;

· willing to read and review titles within the romance fiction genres/sub-genres and post said reviews on your site/blog and other sites, as needed;

· willing and can commit to hosting authors of romance fiction on your blog for promo posts, guest posts, interviews and/or giveaways; and

Doesn’t that sound awesome? And it gets even better, since she’s offering a reward system. You’ll have to check out her site for more information.

I know I’ll be going to Candlelight Book Promotions for my virtual blog tours (when I have new books coming out…which means I need to get off my ass and write). I didn’t say that. But definitely check them out and see if they’re what you’re looking for!

It’s Monday and my brain isn’t all here. Part of that has to do with me waking up early to work out and the other part has to do with the chemical smell today that’s making me feel as though I’m as high as a kite.

So today’s post is going to be very simple. In the face of all the horrible events we’ve witnessed over the last year, there’s only one thing to say:
If everyone followed this simple creed, we wouldn’t have half the problems we do in the world today.

The bronchitis has run its course leaving me five pounds lighter and somewhat well-rested. I think what I dislike the most is the knowledge that going back to work today means I’ll have to hear the crap from my coworkers. Because for some reason, my absence bothers them more than anyone else’s.

I have no idea why. Would it really kill them to mind their own business? Yeah, so today won’t be my finest. I have a week’s worth of work to catch up on and irritating coworkers to ignore. But, that’s the price you pay when you’re that awesome, which apparently I am.

Last week, I thought I was dying. Went to the doctor to find out I had an upper respiratory infection. Okay, I can handle that as long as I get a shot and some meds. I was a good girl. I took all of my medicine, which is unusual for me, and I rested. I didn’t overdo it or anything. Thanksgiving rolled around and I had a wonderful time.

The food was plentiful and good. The football games were plentiful and two of them were really good. I had big plans for Friday and Saturday. I have so many WIPs that need to be worked on, I promised myself (and my muse) that we’d sit down and churn out some serious numbers. Friday morning I woke up, had a cup of coffee, took a shower, put clean pjs on and went back to bed. I slept until 2 pm. Obviously I wasn’t going to get any writing done. It had to be some kind of post-Thanksgiving funk. I shrugged off the thought and enjoyed a day of laziness because Saturday it was on like Donkey Kong!

Saturday morning I woke up, groaned and heaved and coughed and sneezed. Ugh. I wasn’t going anywhere. Not even the store to pick up groceries for me and the animals. I rolled back in bed, certain I’d feel better by Sunday when I absolutely had to go to the store. No excuses.

Yup, still sick on Sunday morning, but I went to the store and bought sweets. Why? I have no idea, but when I got home I had cookies and doughnuts and ice cream. I wanted to eat all of it, while sniffling and sneezing over it, permanently claiming it all as mine. I didn’t of course, but I did eat a lot of bad stuff yesterday. And guess what? It didn’t make me feel any better.

Here we are an exact week after my doctor’s appointment and the cold still lingers. *shakes her fist at the fates* However, I did start writing last night after the Saints broke my heart by losing. Despite the sniffling, sneezing and cold sweats, I got a good word count in and I did it again this morning. I haven’t worked out since Thanksgiving morning and I feel awful for it, but there’s no way I can sweat with this cold thing going on without feeling as though I was back in the 1600’s and still believed in the four humors.

Yeah, it’s a miserable Danica you’re reading about today. But I did have lovely Thanksgiving holiday otherwise. I read a lot. I watched a lot of movies (hello, The Black Swan was fucked up!) and I cuddled with fat cat and needy dog.

I think this is almost as good as my debut release with Ellora’s Cave. What you ask? Why my first print book, that’s what! Hot Fusion was originally release in October 2011 in the Oh! Canada line. I was so thrilled for it to be re-released in paperback, along with Letting Jack Watch by Katheryn Wallis. This two book treat is called Canadian Connections.

Hot Fusion is set in a beautiful Ontario town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. I’m fortunate to live close to NOTL and visit frequently. It’s a wonderful area and where the story of Kara and Max unfold. She is a Cordon Bleu chef and he owns a vineyard. In the cooking world when you combine two types of food, like Creole and Japanese for example, it’s called fusion. In this story I combine some steamy stuff between Kara and Max creating a delicious buffet of Hot Fusion. I hope you are inspired to give it a read.

I can’t promote this cover without a shout out to Christian Boeving. He’s the cover model on Canadian Connections. I had the wonderful fortune to meet him at RomantiCon this past October. All the way around he is one yummy guy.

I know Danica will have no problem at all with me talking about Christian, since she has a…ahem…*thing* for the Cavemen in case you haven’t noticed. They seem to turn up here at Unearthly Musings quite frequently.

So feast your eyes upon the delicious Christian, subject of my crush. Le sigh. But, you’ll have to wander on through the excerpt before the reward of Christian 😉 Yes, I can play naughty too, check out some of my other books for that 😉

The afternoon slipped leisurely by and Kara enjoyed a mellow languor she hadn’t experienced in such a long time. Sure, it was the wine and the company, but this little bit of patio time in her hometown was the best medicine.

Max ordered a scrumptious antipasto plate and slid his chair around the table beside her so they could share. Their knees touched, sending little shock waves of desire along her nerve endings to settle between her thighs, keeping her arousal at a nice, pleasant hum. She didn’t move her leg and neither did he. Their connection continued to grow like a live wire sparking between them. She wondered if he was as turned-on as she. And when he glanced at her over the rim of his glass, she knew. The look in his eyes that drove her to distraction as a ripe teenage girl reflected in his gaze now. A little shiver of delight ran down her spine.

She kept glancing at him over the plate of food, unable to take her eyes off him. They had since moved to a nice Pinot Grigio rather than the ice wine and both glasses now sat empty, begging to be filled. She wondered if it was wise to order more. But she longed to continue sitting here with him, sipping wine, people watching and being enveloped in the intoxicating scent of Max and the flowers. Kara was captivated by him all over again.

He draped his arm across the back of her chair in a casual movement and her heart did a little jump when his thumb stroked her bare shoulder. The air between them fairly crackled and she decided the decision had been taken from her. She’d stay. Here, with him, and let jazzy tunes from the hidden speakers wrap them in anonymity.

“So, you liked the wine, eh?”

“Yes, it was very nice. I should do a sweets night featuring your ice wine.”

“I like that idea.”

“Good.” Kara needed to bring something important up but didn’t know how, and was afraid it would shatter the fragile ease that was developing between them. But she had to for her own peace of mine.

“Max. A-are you still marr…” He shook his head and Kara let the word trail away. Relief flooded through her and she didn’t want to press it further right now, or know the reasons he was now single. Time for that later. The fact he was no longer married was all she needed to know.

He gazed at her intently and raised his eyebrows. “Do you want to know why?”

This time Kara shook her head and wagged her finger back and forth. “Not really. At least right now. I just needed to know your, um, situation.”

He sat back and smiled. “Don’t want be the other woman, eh?”

Kara laughed and covered her mouth with her hand, a little embarrassed. “No, definitely not on my bucket list!” She also felt a little ashamed being so thrilled by the news he wasn’t married. Divorce was never easy.

The rest of the afternoon fell to mindless, comfortable banter and Kara’s contentment grew. The stress and hectic days prior began to fade away and she relaxed more as the afternoon wore on.

Kara’s mind began to wander. What would come next? How would they part? Should she ask him to come back and open another bottle of wine? Worry furrowed her brow and she jumped when his hand cupped her shoulder. His fingers traced up the column of her throat and pushed into the curls at her nape, massaging gently. The movement chased the worry from her.

“Mmm, that feels nice.” Kara smiled and faced him. She shivered in delight and he chuckled at her involuntary reaction.

“Cold?”

She shook her head and without a second thought leaned toward him. He encouraged her with a gentle pull. Their gazes stayed connected and just before their lips met, Kara’s eyelids fluttered close.

Her breath caught when he kissed her—chaste and gentle, but with an underlying power she longed to unleash. Kara craved it and kissed him back, opening her mouth to dart her tongue out and taste his. He met her with a sudden ferocity that liquefied her insides. She was helpless to him, her muscles slack and weak. If he didn’t have his arm around her, she would have dissolved into a puddle of passion at his feet.

Kara forgot where they were, all sense of place and time vanished. Her hand crept up to the back of his neck and her fingers played with his hair at the nape. Sound faded and Kara was only aware of him, nothing else. She sensed the sexual tension building in him and knew they should slow down before they embarrassed themselves in public. But she couldn’t stop and moved closer to him, needing the feel of his body next to hers.

The sharp ring and vibrating buzz of her cell phone on the metal table pierced the moment and she jolted away, almost panting. Kara couldn’t catch her breath and fumbled to grab the phone and flip it open. It was the bakery number.

“Hel—” Kara cleared the roughness from her throat and glanced at Max, who was flushed and watching her intently. His dark gaze made promises she wanted him to keep. Kara looked away to try to rebalance herself. “Uhm, hello?”

“Hi, Kara.” It was Jilly, one of her co-op students. “Hey, are you all right?”

“Uh, sure. Why?”

“You sound kinda weird.”

Weird? No, just incredibly horny. “What do you need?” she asked a little too harshly and immediately regretted it.

“Oh, anyway, the health inspector is here.”

“What? Holy shit, I completely forgot.” Kara’s passion extinguished as if a bucket of cold water had been sloshed on her. “I’ll be right there.”

Kara quickly gathered her bags and turned to Max. “I gotta go. Totally forgot an appointment.” She cupped his cheek in her palm. “Thank you, it was a great afternoon.”

She stood and ignored the curious looks from the other patrons and dashed from the patio. As she rounded the wall of flowers, she glanced over her shoulder at Max. He leaned comfortably in his seat, his arm once again draped across the back of the chair she had been sitting in. He winked and smiled at her.

Holy crap.

That one simple and utterly sexy look totally reignited her passion for him. How could she possibly concentrate on a boring old health inspector now?

~~~

….and, Christian.

Ready for the whole caveman crew? I had the good fortune of posing with when I received my award for Rock-Hard Heat. The reason I look like a huge marshmallow is because I was still in my hazmat costume for the Mayan Survivor Party.